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Property

With the aim of helping you achieve an efficient sale or purchase of a house or flat, GCA specialises in residential conveyancing, transfers of equity and re-mortgages.

For many, the buying of a new home or the selling of an existing home can be one of the most stressful times of life. Our residential property team understands this and also the importance of communicating with everyone involved in the process (the ‘chain’); of acting quickly to avoid unnecessary delays; and of the need to provide all clients with a service that is value for money.

Buying and selling a home
In some cases, the purchase or sale or property involves a chain of transactions which extend beyond your immediate control. To limit your frustration and stress, we aim to provide excellent timing, effective negotiation and sometimes a sense of humour, all of which can play a vital part in achieving a successful outcome for you. Even if buying and selling simultaneously, we can and will help co-ordinate the necessary timescales with legal requirements to give you a smooth and relatively stress free service.

Our team offers a high quality property service which is responsive and competitively priced. We endeavour to keep your worries and concerns to a minimum.

Associated costs
When you buy or sell a house, you will incur expenses in addition to the fee your solicitor charges you for the work undertaken. It is important that you are aware of these expenses from the outset and budget for them. Please see the links below for a helpful guide to the costs incurred when buying and/or selling.

Sale

Estate agents fee. This is usually calculated as a percentage of the sale price and in addition most estate agents charge VAT.

Mortgage Lenders sealing fee. This varies according to the lender.

Land Registry fee for official copies of the entries relating to your property on the register. The sum payable is between £6 and £12, depending on the number of documents.

If you are selling a flat the freeholder or management company may charge for supplying information required by your buyer. This fee can vary from £100 to approximately £300 or even more.

If you are selling a flat, do bear in mind the buyer will want the ground rent and service charges paid up to the date on which you complete the sale.

Purchase

Search fees. Local Authorities and Water Companies charge for answering questions about the supply of services, planning permissions and so on, regarding the property you want to buy. Typically, Local Authorities charge approximately £150 and Water Companies £60

It is also now a requirement to conduct a chancel repair search which currently costs £24.00. This establishes whether the property has a potential liability for repair/maintenance of the local parish church. We also offer special environmental and plan searches which cost approximately £70 combined.

Stamp Duty

If you are buying a flat, the freeholder or management company may charge a fee for registering you as the new owner in their records. Typically, the fee charged varies according to the agent but is usually £100+ VAT.